74-year-old John Floyd Thomas, Jr. has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for seven murders and sexual assaults dating back to the 1970s. A serial killer known as the Westside Rapist, he is suspected in numerous other cases, reports the LA Times. more ›

When the LA Weekly broke the news about the still-out-there "Grim Sleeper" serial killer, who would rape and murder victims in South LA, one detective had an idea. What if the matching DNA from the crime scenes was of a registered sex offender who had not yet been swabbed? Of the 1,500 local sex offenders that matched the Grim Sleeper's description, 92 of them did not have DNA on file. So police began collecting DNA samples and one of those samples matched a number of crimes, but not the Grim Sleepers, another one, possibly the Westside Rapist: more ›

The big news today about a serial killer wasn't the alleged identity of the Zodiac Killer or anything about the possibly-still-on-the-loose Grim Sleeper, but of the Southland Strangler, also known as the Westside Rapist, who would target elderly women, raped and kill them in the 70s and 80s. He was arrested last month and could be responsible for up to 30 murders. more ›

A 72-year-old man suspected of raping and killing at least 30 women was arrested last month for the killing of one woman who was part of a serial spree that lasted around 15 years. John F. Thomas was matched to an old case via DNA after police began swabbing registered sex offenders. Thomas, who went to prison in 1978 for a rape in Pasadena, had two waves of rape-killings. The first was on the Westside before he was caught. After serving time, he moved to Chino and another wave began in Claremont. Through all this, Thomas was never connected or suspected by police, despite leaving 20 survivors. After he was arrested, more DNA results came in connecting him to four other deaths. Thomas would prey on older woman living alone. He would rape and strangle them and leave a pillow or blanket over their faces. more ›